Kenyan artistes excluded from Africa Day Concert
Kenyans are conspicuously missing on the list of performers at this year’s edition of Africa Day Concert.
The concert, to be hosted by British actor Idris Elba, will be streamed exclusively on YouTube on Wednesday May 25 , 2022 starting 8pm.
YouTube has announced a stellar lineup of artistes from five countries namely Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, South Africa and the DR Congo.
The artistes will perform on multiple stages from Lagos to Johannesburg in an event that will be streamed to a global audience on YouTube and broadcast on MTV channels.
The annual concert, which is in its third year, is a musical homage to Africa, showcasing the vibrant African music stars who are making headlines across the world.
During the inaugural event, Kenya was represented by Sauti Sol, while last year the country was represented by singer Kevin Mbuvi Kioko, popularly known as Bahati.
This year Nigeria has the biggest representation with D’banj, Davido, CKay, Yemi Alade, Reekado Banks and Mayorkun all set to grace the stage.
Singer-songwriter and poet, Busiswa Gqulu, and singer and dancer, Kamo Mpela have been selected from South Africa, while songbird Zuchu will represent Tanzania. Drizilik from Sierra Leone and Congolese singer and songwriter, Innoss’B, round up the lineup of performers.
The concert is aimed at commemorating the foundation of the Organisation of Africa Unity on May 25, 1963 by using music as a platform to showcase African culture.
The virtual concert is a Pan-African event featuring trailblazing African stars from across the continent.
Africa is in the midst of a creative and cultural renaissance that has been accelerated by artistes who are claiming a unique space in the world.
The concert seeks to bring Africans, the Diaspora and people from across the world together to celebrate a continent that is home to more than 1.5 billion people and is spawning new ways of artistic expression.
Alex Okosi, the Managing Director at YouTube EMEA said YouTube as a platform has been mainline for connecting African artists to people all around the world and the Africa Day Concert is an opportunity to reaffirm YouTube’s support for African artistes as they showcase the vibrant sounds and culture that makes Africa truly unique.